For both industrial and household applications, it is desirable to provide hydrophobic coatings or layers to metallic substrates. Although compositions containing hydrophobic materials, such as polysiloxanes and fluorinated materials, can be applied to metallic surfaces, such compositions often lack permanency and durability. Also, such compositions are often based on organic solvents that can provide environmental problems. It would be desirable to provide a hydrophobic composition that is aqueous based and contains hydrophobic constituents such that when applied to a metallic substrate such as stainless steel forms a somewhat permanent layer, that is, a layer that is not easily removed by rubbing with steel wool or with cloths soaked with cleaning solutions.